Springfield daily republic. [volume] (Springfield, O. [Ohio]) 1887-1888, 1887-02-28
THAT BUNDLE.

About seven years ago my sister Mrs.
Bowen, WAS staying in Paris for n season.
( and she had some friends there who made
! Paris their home. These friends, Mr.
I and Miss Haven, a business man and his
{ daughter, came TO America for three
months one April, and among other visits
I they made one to mutual friends in the
/ town in which lived
! | called to see them the tiay after their
| arrival They We're out, and left town
without returning my call. as they were
} there but day or two, and without see
! ing me or any of my family. | thought
but little of the matter. though | was
| sorry to have missed them.
\ month went 10y. and one evening, inst
NJ twilight. one Of the ladies of the family
whom they had yiSited-whom | will call
Smith for the sake of convenienCc-came
III to see me. and said
''Oh, | only ran in for minute, I've
been trying TO come for month to ask
you why you never acknowledged the re
ccipt of that bundle Mr.. Haven brought
over to YOU from Mrs. Bowen"
What bun,lles'' said. Il never had
any bundles. / never knew that Mrs
Bowen sent me any bundle"
why you must have it; you must for
get. Mr. Haven sent it 10 you by the
Adams Express from New York as soon
as he landed, and he has thonght il very
strange that you never acknowledged it.
And he has got so veNed about it, and
thought it SO rude of you not to thank
him for bringing il to you that he wouldn't
ask about it until now, just as he is going
home again, for he wants to tell Mrs.
Bowen you received il.
Il am awfully sorry, said: "but YOU
know | couldn't very rTell write about n
bundle ! never received and didn't know
had been sent"
What was in the bundle?''
My curiosity was very great, and | lis
tened eagerly for her answer. Visions of
all sorts of beautiful things flashed through
my head-gloyes, ,handkerchiefs. stockings.
perhaps even dress. Could it be raw
ishing bonnet, was all ears and all eN-
element
Miss Haven said she didn't know what
was in the bundle, but she said it felt like
silks or satins. 1t wasn't Il large bundle"
''Well" said, now where under the
sun Is that bundle,''
at might possibly have gone TO faith
er's.' = my husband remarked
He had dropped his usually all absorb
ing evening paper and was listening to us.
Your father'SE' | nearly shrieked.
Dear me! if there is anything absolutely
detestable it is to live in small town
and be the duplicate in name of your
mother-in law with junior attached. which
all your friends forget and all your enc
mics as well. Our dinners have gone to
your fathers. and they nave eaten them.
They have stewed our cherished small
purchases of early Bermuda tomatoes for
salads. read my letters, been Mortified by
my bills, kept my dresses and bonnets a
week or so until they found they were
mine, and now they have got my bundle.
| wish and here l rose from my chair
to give emphasis to my words-''yes. |
do wish You had been named Nebuchad-
nezzar; anything but what you are
named"
Yes" said my husband, ''it is annoy
ing certainly; but you know even my
mother would hardly have kept bundle
three months. On the whole, it couldn't
have gone there"
/ felt stern reproof in my husbands
voice, and | took refuge in remarking
tartly:
well, what did you suggest ii fOrs''
''lf you will wait, Mrs. Smith, said my
husband, rising. IN walk up 10 fathers
and just find out positively if the bundle
went there or not If il didn't, we must
inquire al the express Office. OF course it
will turn up"
So he went off, and we sat and talked
until he came back, but when he did come
ii was only to say:
bundle"
We exclaimed, and wondered, and sur
missed for a little while and then my hus-
band went down town and inquired at the
express Office. After he went Mrs. Smith
explained to ne that Mr.. Haven, in his
frequent trips across the Atlantic had been
so bothered by frequent applications from
friends to take over to America various
bundles, sometimes of dutiable goods. which
he was expected To smuEgle, that he had
for years made it point TO say NO To
all such requests from everybody, !, no matter
from whom they might come; but that my
sister not being aware of this fact, had
asked him to take the small bundle for
me, and that he had gladly done so. Miss
Haven had described the bundle to Mrs.
Smith 1t was about ten inches long by
ping paper, and was fully addressed to
me-state. city, street and number. Miss
Haven remembered the bundle vividly,
because when Mrs. Bowen had sent word
that il WAS a small bundle, she judged
that it might perhaps fill up a quarter Of
a trunk of ordinary size, and so had
packed one of her trunks with reference
to it. and was delightfully."- surprised when
81. hot har ivt of
really was small bundle. 1t was the
only bundle they brought over not their
own. They had brought over two or three
gifts for friends, and all had been sent
away at the same time from the Hotel
Brunswick in New York.
Here seemed clew that l eagerly
caught.
1T may have gone as gift to one of
those friends who just acknowledged re-
ceiving their beautiful present, etc, and
didn't specify what article had been re-
ceired,' said.
But" said Mrs. Smith. 1.-The bundle
was addressed to you. They never
changed it at all. but just sent ii Off
Well" l said, then the express COM
pany has mislaid it or lost it, but it
would be real comfort to me 10 know
what was in that bundle"
Write to your sister and find out"
said Mrs. Smith.
Brilliant idear' l sat down to my
desk and wrote two letters, one to my sis
ter in Paris, saying that had just learned
that she had sent me bundle by Mr..
Haven and that it had never reached me.
As | wrote il occurred TO me that she had
intended the gift as a surprise. and that
was the reason | had not known of it.
.tll this | wrote. and begged her to answer
me at once. This was Monday night, and
was going TO New York the next day.
Ir Haven WAS TO sail for Havre on the
nNt day but Ole. | wrote note TO Mr..
iaven. who was TO return alone. stating
&c facts about the bundle: that | deeply
,e~-etted TO know that he had thOught me
rcmiss in acknowledg Rg his Kindness.
etc: and added that the next day was
going TO New York and would be nj the